Side Steppin'
by EvilDoctor1
Summary: The Ponies must face the mystery that is...Comic-Con! But there is something odd about this Comic-Con. And what has happened to San Diego?
1. Chapter 1

As hallways go, it's of the typical non-descript variety. Off-white walls broken up by other hallways intersecting at 90 degrees and off-white doors that are labelled on the wall next to it with a small black plaque embossed with eight digit numbers in a simple white font. If it wasn't for the helpful arrow signs with the same plain white font on black background pointing to stairwells, offices and special rooms, one would quickly become lost in the seemingly endless maze. While the hallways themselves seemed to be devoid of life, a hubbub of multiple voices and the thump-thump of loud music could be heard echoing down from some unseen location.

However if a casual observer was present in that hallway, he might notice that one of the walls had an unusual quality about it. Careful scrutiny of the wall might show it shimmering ever so slightly with an almost imperceptible undulation much like the still water of a calm pond. If one were to put one's hand on it, it would feel like a normal wall, solid, unmoving, yet further viewing would show that your own hand now showed the same effects that you saw with the wall.

Soon though the slight undulation gives way to very visible ripples caused from a pressure wave preceding an approaching object. Within a fraction of a second there is a flash of light as a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy comes flying out of the wall screaming in terror only to have it cut short as she hits the far wall and crumpling to the ground, stunned from the impact.

Within a second another pegasus with a blue hide, rainbow coloured mane and tail, and aptly named Rainbow Dash followed. Dash manages to avoid the wall, but instead of turning safely to the left or right, she chooses up, and smashes into the ceiling. She crumples in a heap on top of the still prone Fluttershy.

Three more equines come running through the portal, a regular orange coloured earth pony named Applejack, and two unicorns, the purple coloured Twilight Sparkle and the white Rarity. The last one to cross the threshold was a pink earth pony named, appropriately enough, Pinkie Pie, hopping on all four hoofs like some deranged oversized Easter Bunny.

The four pursuers stop dead with the realization they have entered a strange new environment, their fallen comrades temporarily forgotten. Even the normally unflappable Pinkie Pie could only stare slack-jawed, though it may have more to do with having transferred from the chaotic and often scary and dangerous, thus fun environment of Equestria's Everfree Forest to the orderly and apparently safe, thus boring environment of the non-descript hallway.

The stunned Fluttershy stirred, managed to shift Rainbow Dash off of her and shakily got to her feet. "Where are we?" she asked groggily.

"We seem to have yet again crossed a threshold to a parallel universe," observed Twilight in an almost clinical fashion.

Fluttershy let out a little squeak of terror before repeating the word 'no' in rapid succession. Before any of her friends could intervene she flew directly into the wall they just came out of only to once again find an unyielding barrier. Again she crumpled to the ground stunned, fortunate though that she didn't have the same built up momentum she had when she first traversed the portal.

Rarity looked down at her fallen yellow friend with sympathetic eyes, "Fluttershy dear, you know those portals only go one way. We'll have to look for the return portal in another place."

"Speaking of which, Twilight," interjected Applejack with her characteristic country drawl and a heavy dose of annoyance, "I thought you said you knew where all the portals were and how to avoid them."

Twilight winced at the criticism, but had a ready answer, "This one came out of nowhere. Still, we could have avoided this one had Fluttershy not flown straight into it."

"I couldn't help it. I..saw…something…this…thing. It had big red glowing eyes and huge fangs," whimpered Fluttershy, giving a little shudder at the memory.

"It was a snail. I saw it." It was Dash having regained her senses and was now propping her head up on one hoof.

Applejack nodded in understanding, "Knowing the Everfree forest like I do, I would say both are likely true."

"Regardless of how we got here," interposed Twilight, "we need to find a way back so we can complete our mission."

"What in tarnation?" The loud exclamation came from Applejack. She had approached a nearby door and was pawing at the door knob with her hoofs and then attempting to turn it with her teeth, both to no avail. "What sadistic creatures would create _round_ door handles?"

"Creatures with hands," hypothesised Twilight.

Applejack gave a perplexed look and Rarity spoke up echoing the orange pony's confusion, "I thought you said 'hands' were an ancient form of unicorn measurement?"

"It is. It's what is known as a homonym, same word, different meaning. In this case it refers to the appendage at the end of forearms of certain primates such as monkeys and apes and other bipeds such as minotaurs. They are similar to dragon claws but without the sharp nails on the end," Twilight paused, her horn glowing as she magically studied the door, "Hmmm, judging from the size and shape of the door and placement of the handle, the creatures that built this are likely giant bipeds, about the same size as minotaurs. Anyway the door is locked."

"Can you unlock it?" asked Applejack.

"I can, but I don't think I should. It's probably locked for a good reason, and we need to get the lay of the land before we start going into places we're not supposed to. At least these signs are written in equestrian, which should help."

Before they could explore any further, Twilight felt the familiar tingle of another portal forming. She glanced down the hallway and could see the ripple effect being produced on another wall some 20 feet away, but before she could move another being stumbled through the portal. He was tall, wearing green leather clothing and his face was mostly obscured by a green hood. He carried an archer's bow and a quiver half full of arrows on his back. The being looked around in alarm at his surroundings before catching sight of the ponies. The stranger pulled out an arrow and notched it in his bow with an astonishing speed and skill that surprised Twilight. With the other ponies now aware of the stranger, they collectively let out a scream as they become conscious of the mortal danger they are now in.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a mere heartbeat later as the stranger lowered his weapon and slowly released the tension on his bow. "What the hell?" he muttered. He started to look around at his surroundings as he placed the arrow back into his quiver. Quietly, he started talking to himself, "I must be hallucinating, perhaps some kind of vertigo flashback, or perhaps captured and drugged, or perhaps I'm unconscious." The stranger started to test some nearby doors and discovering they were locked.

Twilight realizing that the stranger thought they were figments of his imagination tried to reach out to him, "I can assure you that we just a real as you are."

The stranger looked at Twilight, "That's exactly what a hallucination would say."

Twilight couldn't refute the logic of it.

The stranger then placed a finger to his ear and started talking seemingly to thin air, "Felicity, Diggle, Roy, anyone, I'm in trouble and could really use help right now. I don't know if I will be able to hear you, but I really hope you can hear me. Try to use my tracer to find me, and come quickly."

Rarity was the next to step forward to attempt to reason with the stranger. "Mister…?" she asked trying to prompt a name from him.

The stranger paused and looked at her, probably pondering whether he should keep trying to ignore the tiny colourful equines or humour their existence. "They call me The Hood."

"Well Mr. Hood, my name is Rarity, and these are my friends Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash…"

"I really don't care," interrupted The Hood.

"Oh," Rarity was taken aback by the response, but pushed ahead anyways, "well regardless, I just want you to know that we came here the same way you did, and like you, all we want to do is go back home. Perhaps we can help each other out and find a way back together."

The Hood shrugged then looked back at the group, "What's up with the pink one?"

"Oh that's Pinkie Pie and she's…" started Twilight with her default answer when meeting new beings for the first time when she realized that Pinkie's been quiet since they arrived in the hallway. She looked back and saw Pinkie listening intently to something, her ears rotating like a radio dish looking for a faint signal. With everyone now quiet and observing Pinkie, her ears suddenly locked in to sounds coming from down the hallway. She then moved into the classic pointer dog position with one leg up and her snout stretched out in the direction of the sound.

"I hear…a…party…" whispered Pinkie. Before anyone could react, she took off at a high speed gallop down the hallway.

Twilight let out a sigh, "Okay girls, let's follow her." They took off as a group with Dash and Fluttershy flying lead. Even The Hood joined the chase, and despite being a biped, had no trouble keeping up with the ponies.

As they ran along, the music became louder and the underlying babble of multiple voices became obvious. It was not long before they reached the end of their pursuit as they ran onto a balcony. They stopped and stared in shock and wonderment, except for Pinkie who was leaning over the railing with her tongue hanging out salivating. Stretched out in front of them lay an expansive auditorium. Below them, laid out in grids, were a multitude of booths and tables hawking various wares, while throngs of creatures of every shape and size milled around, occasionally some of them from right below would look up and yell at Pinkie to stop drooling or to curse her out. Above them were scores of flying creatures; dragons, pegasus, birds, winged bipeds, beings of flame, and beings that seem to fly with no visible means of propulsion.

Dash, excited by what she saw took off like a rocket. Twilight tried yelling after her, "No! Wait!" but the rainbow coloured blur was already out of earshot, flying in and around her fellow aviators.

Twilight grumbled, "She shouldn't have took off like that, we need to stick together!"

Just then, one of the flaming beings flew fast in their direction. It seemed like he was going to hit the wall next to them but at the last split-second he changed course and lighted on the balcony. The flame extinguished revealing a blond haired biped wearing a black and white outfit with a prominent number four on the front. Before he could speak another being that was following, wearing only green shorts and seemingly able to fly from the wings on his ankles, suddenly smashed into the wall next to them.

The blond haired biped looked back and down at the fallen flyer, who had crashed into one of the larger displays below, and shook his head slowly. "Good thing you swim better than you can fly, fish-face, or you would have drowned years ago!" he yelled at his prone pursuer. He then turned back to the others on the balcony and muttered under his breath, "Would have saved us and the world a whole lot of trouble."

The blond man then smiled at the group, "Hi! My name is Johnny Storm, are you new here, or did you come from another exhibition area?"

"We're new here," replied Twilight on behalf of the group, "In fact, we have no idea where we are."

Johnny let out chuckle as his eyes twinkled in excitement and he extended his left arm out in the direction of the exhibition area, "Well then, let me be the first to welcome you to the largest and longest running convention in the multiverse: Comic-Con!"


End file.
